


Peter works at a coffee shop and Tony just visits randomly bec why not

by canonknight



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Coffee Shops, Gen, Iron Dad, No Spoilers, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, endgame and infinity war don't exist, spiderson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-02-21 17:16:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18706801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canonknight/pseuds/canonknight
Summary: Peter Parker works as a part time barista. Tony Stark needs five shots of espresso.Peter doesn’t agree.(Coffee Shop AU-ish. Peter's still sbiderman and tony doesn't know,)





	1. Peter refuses to give in to Tony's self destructive habits

Tony has not slept for 48 hours straight.

He has been alternating between tinkering the newest Mark model and screening through legal documents following up from the Accords. Pepper on the other side of the Earth, dealing with his company. No one can stop his maladaptive habits now.

Except Steve Rogers kicked him out of the Tower to get some fresh air and FRIDAY let him do it.

Tony regrets letting them live in the Tower. So now he’s outside, early afternoon in the summer. The scorching heat from the sun is melting his brain. The humidity is making his shirt and jeans stick to his body. This is far from fresh air, this is putrid New York City heat.

And his body is slowly crashing from the caffeine.

He needed more coffee. That’s what he needed.

So he enters the nearest coffee shop, _Caffeine Machine_.

The cool air inside the coffee shop greets him with welcome arms. The coffee shop was quaint. There were paintings on the walls, flowers by the cashier, and empty tables. There weren’t any customers at all. A lone barista was by the cashier register, focused on his phone. The place was empty.

Which is perfect for Tony, who didn’t want any media attention is his state.

“Hi, I’d like five shots of espresso. In one cup. No anything added.”

Peter Parker jumped and dropped his phone.

“Sorry! Sorry! Coming right up!” He doesn’t bother looking at the customer and rings up the order.

“Wait- five shots of espresso? Is that allowed? Won’t that kill you-“

And looks right at Tony Stark. And panics.

“Oh- Oh my god- you’re-“

“Hey kid, can you wrap up the hysterics and get me my order.”

“Right, right- Sorry Mr. Stark, will do-“

Peter continues to ring up the order and stops. Five shots of espresso. He looks at Tony again and pauses. Tony looks exhausted. His eyes have bags under them, his shirt looks to be stained with grease and sweat, and he looked like he was about the pass out right then and there.

“Mr. Stark, are you feeling okay? You don’t look so good.”

“I’m fine, kid. Now get me my order.”

“But, uh, have you slept?”

“Legally, I don’t have to answer that.”

Peter worries.

“Um, I don’t think I can, uh, serve you those five shots of espresso, Mr. Stark. You look like you’re about to keel over.”

Tony glares.

“Oh, for the love of, listen here, Kid. If you don’t get me my coffee in five minutes, I’m going to sue the shit out of this place and then you. How old are you?”

“F-fourteen-“

“And I promise you, you won’t ever get into a good college. Do you want that? I have pull at MIT. If you don’t get me my coffee, I swear I’ll call them right now and get you blacklisted, do you understand?”

Peter takes a moment to process what is happening. Tony Stark, Iron Man, an Avenger, just threatened him with legal action if he didn’t get his coffee. So this is what they meant by don’t meet your heroes, they end up suing you for caring about them.

Peter huffs.

“All right, Sir. That will be ten dollars.”

“Finally.”

Tony reaches into his pocket to grab his wallet. His hands feel for the familiar sleek black object filled with his cards only to feel nothing but air. Huh.

He reaches into his back pockets, side pockets, and pats down his jeans once more for good measure.

Goddamit. Steve kicked him out so quickly that he forgot his wallet.

“Forget something, Sir?”

Tony glares at the barista, whose face now had a knowing smile.

“Ugh. Forget it.”

Tony starts to walk away from the cashier and back to the Tower. Maybe FRIDAY will finally let him in. He should really remove Steve’s access to FRIDAY. And to the Tower. And to Bucky’s bedroom.

“Wait, Mr. Stark- um, can you wait a moment, please? Sit down. It’s still pretty hot outside.”

Tony doesn’t have to be told twice. He looks at the barista and sits down at one of the empty chairs. The cool, refreshing air of the coffee shop and the lingering smell of coffee beans makes him feel calm.

“Thanks, kid. Really appreciate it. Sorry about-“

Tony looks back to see the barista has gone to the back of the coffee shop. Huh.

Five minutes later, Peter comes out from the back holding a cup of steaming hot… tea? He slowly walks over to Tony’s table and places the cup in front of him. The aroma smells sweet, it smells like vanilla and a full, rich flavor fills the air.

“Um, sorry you forgot your wallet at home, Mr. Stark. I feel bad for not being able to serve you your espresso but I think it’s bad considering you look like you’re about to drop dead- not that- not that you look like that it’s just I mean you look exhausted- but, uh, this is from my personal collection of teas. I hope you like it. It’s on the house. Enjoy.”

Peter takes a little bow and leaves Tony with the tea.

Tony looks at the cup of tea. The aroma entices him, as it overpowers the coffee beans roasting and fills his nose with the scent of a mild, earthy flavor. He picks up the cup and takes the sip.

Instantly, his mouth is filled with the slightly sweet and earthy taste that he can’t quite decipher. He finishes the cup in a few gulps.

“That was delicious. What was that?”

Peter looks at him from the cash register.

“Oh, it’s artichoke tea. Our neighbor made it all the time so I asked how to make it so it’s become one of my personal favorites. Don’t get me wrong, I like coffee, but I like tea too.”

Tony smiles.

“Thanks, kid. Sorry about earlier. I’m a little tired.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Tony stays in the coffee shop until the sun sets and the air feels a little more bearable. He bids the barista goodbye, making sure to remember the name of the place. He’ll come back to thank the kid later.

Walking back to the Tower, Tony realizes he forgot to ask the kid his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heww0
> 
> I KNOW OKAY I KNOW I HAVE ANOTHER FIC THAT HAS YET TO UPDATE IM WORKING ON THAT TOO
> 
> but i needed a 5 hour break from studying or else my head would explode.
> 
> anyways, this is a slowbURN tm, it's a parent son relationshIP OKAY
> 
> (no i havent seen endgame pls st0p ill cry thanks)
> 
> if there's a demand for this story i'll continue xD


	2. Tony realizes that peter's actually kinda smart??

The next time Tony Stark comes back to _Caffeine Machine_ , it’s of his own volition. Kind of. He left the Tower of his own free will. Ish.

Pepper asked him to remove himself from the premises for bothering her while she was doing a conference call with some of their business partners. Tony obliged because he was such a good boyfriend.

And definitely not because she started chucking office supplies at him. He was definitely not waiting around to see her grab that paper weight with the Stark Industries logo. So just as he was about to go to the lab to start working again, FRIDAY informed him that Steve told Pepper about the incident last time, so he’s on lockdown there too.

Tony swore he owned the place, so why was he getting locked out so often?

Either way, he remembered the quaint coffee shop with the kid, so he ended up walking back to that street.

So Tony opens the glass door, a little bell rings, and he immediately sees the kid at the counter with earphones on, tapping his pencil on paper, brows furrowed together.

The familiar scent of coffee jolts him awake and he approaches the kid.

“Hey.”

The kid’s leg is bouncing behind the counter, his hand on his cheek, he starts writing on the paper rapidly. Tony sneaks a glance. It’s a worksheet full of hexagons.

Huh. Homework.

“Kid.”

Tony snaps his fingers in front of the kid’s face. The kid drops his pencil and looks up, a surprised look on his face.

“Mr.- Mr. Stark? What are you doing here?”

“What? Am I not banned from these premises? Kid, I’m a paying customer. Get me coffee.”

Peter observes Tony. He’s clean shaven today. His clothes look clean, his eyes are alert, and there are no visible stains on his jeans or shirt. The bags under his eyes are considerable lighter and Peter notices that Tony has more energy today.

Peter smiles.

“Uh, sorry, Sir. What can I get for you?”

“Five shots of espresso, please.”

Peter grins.

“Are you going to pay for it this time, Mr. Stark?”

Tony raises an eyebrow. The little shit. He reaches into his pocket, brings out his sleek black wallet, and pulls out a shiny, platinum credit card.

“Uh, yeah, I’m pretty sure I will.” Tony slides the card to the kid.

Peter laughs. He picks up the credit card and rings in the order.

“Hey, I just wanted to thank you for the last time. I wasn’t exactly, in the right mind to threaten you like that. So, sorry about that. Thanks for the tea.”

Peter looks at Tony and smiles again. He hands him the receipt and his credit card.

“No problem, Mr. Stark. We all have our bad days. Here’s your receipt and credit card. Find a seat, I’ll serve your ungodly order in a while.”

“Hey, don’t diss coffee, you’re a barista, you should love coffee.”

“Mr. Stark, I love good coffee, not caffeine overdose.” And Peter walks away to prepare his order.

Tony walks to one of the empty tables and sits down again. He observes the coffee shop as he waits for his order. There are a few other customers, most of them college students. He can see a pile of papers, highlighters, and pens strewn about. One of them looked like they were about to start having a breakdown at any moment.

Peter appears in front of him, having come from the kitchen. He puts down a cup of coffee on Tony’s table and puts down another cup.

“Here’s your caffeine overdose, Mr. Stark. And here’s a taste test of what good coffee actually tastes like. On the house. Enjoy.”

Peter bows and walks back to the counter. Tony observes that he puts on his earphones again and continues doing his homework.

Tony sips the espresso and immediately gets the bitter, bitter taste coating his tongue. He relaxes. He puts down the cup and picks up the one Peter made for him. He takes a sip.

Immediately, a sweet, fruity taste fills his mouth. The caffeine content is still definitely there, but the taste, despite not quite as strong as the espresso, leaves him wanting for more. He takes more sips, pleasantly surprised. Eventually, he finishes the cup. Tony stares at his five shot espresso monstrosity.

Tony walks over to the counter and waves at Peter.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Stark?”

“Kid, that coffee was good.”

“Told you so. The key is to lightly roast the beans. I could tell you more about it if you’d like-”

“Come work for me.”

“W-what?”

“Work as my personal barista, I’ll pay you more than this place does.”

“Uh, Mr. Stark. I’m fourteen. And this is a part time job.”

“Then work for me part time. I’ll pay you more than this place does.”

Peter starts laughing.

“Mr. Stark, I work for this place because it’s near my school. Also, I can do homework while I’m here. Which I probably can’t do if I work for you.”

Tony glances at his worksheet. Organic Chemistry. He raises an eyebrow.

“Organic Chemistry? What grade are you in?”

“I take advanced classes. I took chemistry last year so I get to take org chem this year.”

Tony grabs the paper and checks the kid’s answers.

“Hmm. Not bad. No solutions though. Don’t you need solutions?”

Peter blushes.

“Oh, I forgot. I usually just do them in my head.”

Tony looks at the worksheet again.

“So your name’s Peter Parker?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Tony looks at the paper again. Huh. Peter Parker. Smart kid. As Tony looks over the worksheets, flipping through the pages, Peter glances at his phone.

“Oh, crap. Uh, Mr. Stark, my shift is over. I have to get going now. Thank you for stopping by, come again!”

Peter grabs his stuff, removes his apron, and runs off. The bell rings loudly in his haste.

“Kid, wait! Your… homework.”

Tony stares at Peter Parker’s worksheets in his hands. The worksheet indicates that its due date is tomorrow. Tony sighs. It’s the least he could do.

He calls Happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> w0w 0kay was not expecting this to blow up as much as it did, this chapters a bit short for my liking but,,, it works idk
> 
> HAHAHAHHAHA im so shookt iw asnt even supposed to update this bec i have like, 3 exams next week and this was just a quick breather but eh i already wrote it
> 
> also bec so many people said they needed it AND can you belieVE??? i also needed this
> 
> anyways,,, keep the comments coming (although i should reply to them HAHAUSHAUDHSLKJD) they inspire me and PUSH ME TO WRITE MORE AHHADSKLFJD
> 
> enj0y (note: i also really love coffee 0kay)


	3. they have a buncha conversations

“You know, Mr. Stark, if you wanted to come off as a creepy stalker dude, I have to say, you did such a good job.”

“How was I supposed to know your Aunt Hottie would end up calling the police?”

“Mr. Stark. You sent my homework back to my apartment.”

“And? I was being nice. It was due the next day.”

“You didn’t know where I lived. Supposedly.”

“Details.”

“You sent a middle-aged man to look for a minor to his home.”

“Hey, Happy is aging like a fine wine, mind you.”

“He definitely wasn’t when he was at the station.”

“I bailed him out, didn’t I?”

“No, Ms. Potts did.”

“Well, she used my money.”

Peter threw a pen at Tony.

* * *

 

Eventually, it became habit for Tony to visit the coffee shop in the early afternoon. After the homework incident (wherein Pepper and May became very good friends, and left Tony to question his life choices), he found that Peter was more used to his presence now and the kid talked a lot.

And Tony found that he didn’t mind the talking, so much as the refusal to give him his five shots of espresso.

Although the kid did make a damn good pour-over, he can surely say that.

“Have you seen that really old movie, Jaws?”

Tony stares at the kid incredulously.

“I watched it last week with Ned, and I have a lot of questions.”

“Like what?”

“Well, when they were producing the movie, they had such a difficult time with the mechanical shark, Bruce. So now I’m thinking, I wonder how easy it would be to make that now with the technology we have? So I started tinkering-“

“Tinkering with what?”

“The stuff I find in the dumpster.”

“I’m sorry- what now?”

“The dumpster. Oh, man, Mr. Stark, you would not believe the stuff people just throw away. One time I found this perfectly good DVD player and-“

“Nu-uh. No. No. You handle my food. I am not letting you dumpster dive and attract undiscovered diseases. Nope.”

Peter rolls his eyes.

“I wash my hands thoroughly. Anyway-“

“Nope. Nope. You are not going dumpster diving again.”

“Well, where am I going to find parts for Charlie?”

“Who the hell is Charlie?”

“My version of the shark from Jaws.”

“I’m sorry- what?”

Peter brings out his phone, scrolls for a while, and presents Tony with a photo of what appears to be a messy table. In the middle of the table was a foot-long mechanical robot that looked vaguely like a shark. It was made entirely of metal. Tony could see an engine at the edge of the photo, ready to be placed inside the shark.

“What type of engine are you planning to use on this, kid?”

Peter starts talking schematics. He brings out his notebook and shows Tony his ideas. Tony starts suggesting. They start exchanging ideas back and forth. Tony brings out his phone and looks up previous diagrams.

“Hey, excuse me, I’d like to place an order?”

Peter looks up, and sees a customer waiting in line at the counter.

“Sorry, Mr. Stark. I gotta take this.”

Peter stands up and leaves his notebook on the table. Tony watches as the kid expertly takes the customer’s order and starts making his coffee. He then glances at the notebook. Deciding on dealing with the consequences later, he picks it up and flips through the pages.

There are pages upon pages of diagrams and schematics of projects Peter has worked on. There’s an automatic egg cracker ( _for May, while she gets better from that sprain_ , is written on the side), a self-made drone, a working self-made version of the walker from Star Wars ( _Ned will love this!_ , written on the margins), and at the back of the notebook, several doodles of spiders.

Huh.

“Hey, Mr. Stark! Thanks for the advice. Anyway, my shift’s over so I have to go. Thanks for coming!”

Peter quickly picks up his things and leaves the coffee shop.

The next day, Peter receives an ungodly amount of money in his bank account. It came with a note.

“ _Buy actual gear, kid.”_

* * *

 

 “Mr. Stark, this is how a lot of those romance novels start and if this is your way of saying you’re interested-“

“For the love of god, kid, just take the money and run with it. Think of it as an investment-“

“Like in Pretty Woman?”

“Me as Richard Gere? Believable. You as Julia Roberts? Not so much.”

“So you admit it. This is that type of situation. Mr. Stark, I’m flattered but-“

“One more word and I’m telling May you quit band two months ago.”

“How did you-“

Tony raises his eyebrow. Peter chucks a balled-up paper at him. Tony dodges and takes a sip of his coffee.

Peter did run with the money. He managed to fix the kinks on Charlie, presented it in robotics club, got a lot of compliments from his teacher, and gave the robot to Tony.

“Here, Mr. Stark. Another shark for your tank.”

“What?”

“You don’t watch Shark Tank? Ashton Kutcher, Mark Cuban, and Lori Greiner?”

“I think I have much better things to do than watch reality tv.”

“Nope. Not taking no for an answer. Here’s my laptop, I have all ten seasons.”

“Kid, I have to get back-“

“If you don’t watch at least five episodes I’m telling Pepper you’re the one who threw out her favorite paperweight.”

“How did you-“

Peter grinned and opened his laptop.

“Well, now that I have your attention-“

“Wait- Is that- is that _Oscorp Industries?!_ ”

“Oh, yeah. Mr. Osborn came to our class a few days ago and was pretty impressed with our robotics club so he gave us all these laptops. Pretty cool, right?”

Tony grabbed the laptop, threw it on the floor, and stepped on it for good measure.

“Hey!”

“Nope. Stark laptops are better. I’ll get the newest one for you. No questions asked.”

Tony crosses his arms, sits down, and glares at the laptop, now scattered across the floor.

Peter laughs a little.

“Mr. Stark, that’s really kind of you, but the only reason I took it was because I didn’t have a laptop to begin with. Trust me, it would be a dream to work for your company.”

“Then why did you refuse to be my barista?” Tony said, looking at Peter.

Peter looks at Tony for a long time. Tony stares back. Peter looks at his hands and took a deep breath.

“I can’t. I have a responsibility.”

Tony raises an eyebrow.

“To do what, exactly?”

 Peter looks up and grins.

“Homework, obviously.”

Tony rolls his eyes and throws a sugar packet at him. Shark Tank turned out to be pretty good. Tony takes Charlie home in a paper bag and puts it up on mantle in the workshop for display.

* * *

 

“Tony, will you relax, I’m coming with you because I want to get a cup of coffee too. Will you stop- how are you walking this fast?”

Tony starts walking faster, trying to lose Steve. Alas, Steve has the power of super solider serum on his side while Tony only had motive to not be seen with the star-spangled ass.

Tony may not still be over being locked out of his Tower. Twice. Steve starts walking at his pace.

“Pepper said she’s met the kid, says he’s keeping you out of trouble. What’s his name?”

“Nunya.”

“That’s a strange name. Nunya?”

“Nunya business.”

Steve rolls his eyes.

They walk into the coffee shop and the familiar bell signals their entry.

Tony notices Peter immediately. He is scribbling on his notebook again. Peter chews on his thumb and writes rapidly. Tony and Steve approach the counter.

“Hey, kid, what do you have there?” Tony asks.

Peter shuts his notebook and looks up.

“Oh- whoa- whoa- oh my god- it’s-“

“Hey, son.”

“Captain America, oh my god this is crazy we just had a quiz on you last Friday and you’re-“

“What am I, chopped liver?”

“Oh, hey Mr. Stark. The usual?”

“The- the usual? Need I remind you, I’m better than Capsicle here.”

“Not when I’ve seen May tear you a new one.”

“Okay, first of all, your Aunt Hottie is too scary, and second of all-“

“Tony, do you mind introducing us?” Steve interrupts.

Tony rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.

“Fine. Whatever. Cap, this is the kid. Kid, this is what happens when you do drugs.”

“Tony!”

“It’s fine. He knows not to do drugs. Right?”

“Oh, but Mr. Stark, all the cool kids are doing them.”

Tony grabs his card and slides it across the counter.

“Anyway, the usual for me. Steve?”

“Just a latte, please.”

Peter rings up the orders, puts away his notebook, and gives them the receipt.

“All right. Please find a table and I’ll serve you your orders.”

Peter smiles at Steve.

“Peter Parker, by the way. Nice to meet you Mr. Captain America.”

“Just Steve is fine.”

Steve nods and they find a corner table. He looks around the coffee shop.

“Didn’t think you’d be into this type of thing, Tony.”

“What do you mean?”

“This.” And Steve gestures around the place, “is quaint. Not your usual.”

Before Tony can respond, Peter arrives with their orders.

“One pour over brewed coffee for Mr. Stark, and one café latte for Mr. Steve- uh, Captain Rogers, Sir. Enjoy.” Peter bumbles, and bows.

“Kid, wait. Take a seat. Cap wants to meet you.”

“Whoa, no way, this is so awesome!”

Peter immediately takes a seat.

“Wait, uh, so why do you want to meet me?”

“Well, son-“

“Oh no, are you here to lecture me about quitting the decathlon team? Because I swear Mr. Steve Rogers Captain America Sir, I’ve seen your PSA videos like a million times and I- I don’t really need another ‘ _So, you’ve decided to quit extracurriculars-_ “

Steve immediately has a look of terror on his face. Tony looks at Peter.

“What PSA videos?”

“You know, the ones that they always show at school. There’s one on the gym, one about detention, one about- wait it’s easier to just show you. Let me grab my phone-“

“I don’t think that’s necessary, son.”

Tony grins.

“No, no, I do think it’s necessary. How have I never heard of these PSAs before?”

Tony grabs his phone and looks for them on YouTube. Steve sighs exasperatedly and looks down.

“They said it would help the kids…”

Peter pats Steve on the shoulder. Tony laughs in the background.

* * *

 

Later that night, a bank robbery goes wrong. The next-door deli catches fire. Tony dismisses the news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wasssuppp
> 
> okay yeay this chapter is longer!!! haHA!  
> it's mostly conversations tho bec *insert authro reasoning here* HAHA i can't tell you that would spoil the surprise \:D/  
> my 3 exams just finished this week and mAN that was so stressful!! but the semester isn't over!! i have three more exams + fiedlwork + a bunch of papers due!
> 
> aaaaaaah whATEVER either way i HOPE yaLL enjoyed this!!
> 
> (Also i saw endgame FINALLY but like i accept it tbh bec it's really the only way to end such a good series of movies and im sad about it okaY im prolly gonna cry when i watch FFH THAT ONE IM NOT SPOILING MYSELF ON)
> 
> ye i actively looked for spoilers bec i have commitment ISSUES!!!


	4. a big 00f for peter and tony

Tony doesn’t see Peter for a week.

It’s not like he really meant for it to happen, he just got busy. Secretary Ross demanded updates from Tony and his merry band of criminals (as Ross liked to say) every 10 minutes and so Tony had to round up the best lawyers he could, scream at the Steve for making this so much more difficult (Steve would just stand there and take it which didn’t make it any fun at all) and complain to Pepper when she did have the time _(Tony, stop yelling at Steve and work with him_. _)_

So Tony doesn’t visit Peter for a week. He gets his coffee from the coffee machine in his workshop and makes a face.

He gives his espresso shots to his lawyers.

After the week passes, the hellfire from Ross and the media dies down, Tony leaves the tower, grabs some blueprints, and picks up the pace to get to the _Caffeine Machine_ (which is still a dumb café name, Tony thinks)

He enters the coffee shop, the familiar bell signaling his return, and frowns at the counter when he sees a round-faced Asian kid in Peter’s stead. Thinking that maybe Peter was at the back of the shop making some coffee for some caffeine craved customers, he orders his usual pour-over.

The kid recognizes him immediately. Tony is reminded of Peter the first time they met.

So he signs the kid an autograph, humors him a bit, and tells him to stay in school. The kid (Ted?) says thank you a million times and gives him his order.

Tony doesn’t ask about Peter. He’s not worried. Definitely.

* * *

 

Peter doesn’t mean to give his shift to Ned for a week or so, but he feels responsible.

In his fight with the bank robbers, they accidentally shot at Mr. Delmar’s deli shop and the heat of the explosion made the whole place catch fire. He was able to rescue Mr. Delmar and Murph, but not much of the store was left behind.

This was Spiderman’s fault.

Peter Parker had to pick up the pieces after him.

Everyday, after school, instead of going to his actual part time job, he went to help Mr. Delmar. He’d clean up the debris, help him inventory what was left, and tried to find ways to raise some money to get the whole place fixed up.

It really cut into his time with the coffee shop, but it was his responsibility. He hasn’t been able to attend decathlon practice either.

Peter sighs. Liz is going to be so mad at him.

He watches Mr. Delmar look over the damages. He’s still got bandages on his head, and a couple of bruises mottled around his arms.

Peter starts picking up the debris a little faster.

* * *

 

Tony is definitely not worried.

He is definitely not hacking into Midtown’s servers, checking Peter’s attendance, or even looking at his grades.

And he is definitely not stressed about Peter quitting another extracurricular (robotics too?).

“Why don’t you just contact May?” Pepper asks.

“Because I’m not worried.”

“Is that why you’re hacking into high school servers? I can see the screens, you know. And I didn’t even specify which May.”

“Pep, love of my life, darling sweet vanilla cake-“

“Tony.”

“I’m not worried.”

“So if I told you I had news on Peter-“

Tony turns around.

Pepper holds back a laugh.

Tony pouts.

* * *

 

Peter goes back to work on Friday. Ned ended up needing to go to the dentist after class, so Peter had to go back to work. He leans on the counter and sighs.

He thinks about the robbers that are still out there, and possibly robbing a bank as he sits here, taking orders from stressed out college students.

And Mr. Stark.

Peter didn’t really expect _the Ironman_ to become a regular at the shop. He also didn’t expect to have daily conversations about the mechanics of his robots or recommending dumb TV shows together.

After Mr. Stark finished all the seasons of Shark Tank, Peter ended up recommending _Nailed It_ to him.

_“Thanks for the recommendation, kid. Now the entire tower is covered in flour.”_

_“What?”_

_“Yeah, Clint and Bucky ended up watching the show, betting each other that they could bake better than that and long story short, the Cap got food poisoning.”_

_“I thought he couldn’t get sick anymore?”_

_“That’s what we thought too.”_

Peter laughed so hard when Mr. Stark had shown him the photo of the communal kitchen covered in flour, eggshells on the Winter Soldier’s hair, and Clint holding a bowl of batter (why was it _green_?).

But these conversations paled to the fear and distraught Mr. Delmar had in his eyes as he watched his deli shop burn down. Peter feels like he’s not doing enough to help him.

Lost in thought, Peter hears the entrance bell ring.

Mr. Stark has entered the coffee shop.

Peter grins at him.

“Hey, Mr. Stark! The usual?”

Tony frowns at him.

“You quit Robotics club, Pete?”

Peter frowns.

“Mr. Stark, that’s an invasion of privacy.”

“You didn’t show up for your job here, you quit most of your school clubs, so where were you this past week?”

“Is this an interrogation or am I taking your order?”

Tony crosses his arms.

“Answer the question, kid.”

Peter sighs.

“Fine. I was helping out Mr. Delmar. Did you see the news around a few weeks ago? There was a bank robbery and they had this alien tech, probably from the invasion a few years ago-“

Tony tenses.

“And Spiderman tried to stop them but- well, things went wrong and the deli shop across the street caught fire from the weapon. I know the owner, Mr. Delmar. He serves the best sandwich in Queens. So I helped him clean up.”

“Spider…man?”

“Uh, yeah. Blue and red, goes around the neighborhood.”

“So he’s a vigilante?”

Peter shrugs.

“I guess. Well, he goes around town helping people.”

“This… Mr. Delmar, he ok?”

“Yeah, Spiderman managed to save him. And Murph. The cat.”

Tony sighs.

“No wonder Ross has been bitching at me.”

“Who’s Ross?”

“Remember how me and Steve had this little fight about the Accords?”

“Your little brawl at the airport, continue.”

“Well, Ross is the one calling for us to be responsible. He’s been all up my ass about restricting vigilantes and getting them arrested. Says they’re trouble. And considering how this ‘Spiderling’ has apparently set a deli shop on fire, I have to agree with him on this point.”

Peter frowns.

“Hey, that’s not fair. And it’s Spiderman.”

“What do you mean it’s not fair? He has to be accountable.”

“What about you guys? How come you guys aren’t arrested even if you’ve damaged so many buildings?”

“Because under this new law, we would be regulated. Unlike vigilantes who refuse to give up their identity, we answer to someone.”

“Yeah, but what about us? What happens to the regular people who get robbed, or need to cross the street, or need help on the street?”

“Call the police.”

“Mr. Stark, the police aren’t always going to be around. If Spiderman hadn’t gotten to Mr. Delmar, he’d be more seriously injured.”

“If Spiderman didn’t exist, maybe the deli shop wouldn’t have caught fire. Potato, potato. Either way, Pete, I don’t see him cleaning up the mess he made. He should have just called the police.”

Peter glares.

“If Ironman didn’t exist, then maybe my Uncle Ben would still be alive!”

Conversations stop. The customers stare at Tony and Peter.

Peter’s eyes are watery and his face is flushed red. His fists are clenched. The pencil he’s holding breaks.

Tony steps back.

Peter realizes that the customers are staring. He looks at them, steps back, and removes his apron.

He shakes his head, runs a hand through his face and throws the pencil in the trash can.

Tony watches as Peter checks the time, grabs his backpack and walks past him without a word.

Peter stops at the door and looks back at Tony.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Stark.”

And he leaves.

He runs to the nearest alley and webs up his backpack.

He searches for the robbers.

* * *

 

Tony looks up videos of Spiderman. He discovers that he's not the only vigilante in New York. He looks at articles written about them too.

He looks at the Accords files on the left side of his desk.

"FRIDAY, bring down Bucky here, wouldya?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI guys!!  
> ohmyg0sh??? 500 kud0s??? what the frickfrack what the zigzag i am shooketh!!!!
> 
> my semester is almost over (thank g0d!!!) i have two more exams (one of which is tomorrow) and a presentation left then i'm free!!!!!
> 
> FREE FROM THE SHACKLES UNTIL NEXT YEAR WHEN IM AN INTERN and 0hmyg0sh!!!! im both stressed and scared
> 
> sorry about the delay on this one, i had such a hard time thinking about how to do these scenes (yall have no idea how many times i had to write and rewrite them bec i wanted to keep the flow but at the same time i needed to address this question for the ~feels~ and ~plot~
> 
> anyways, lemme know what you think of this chapter bec it was a very saD one but don't w0rry!!!! i'll be back soon to remedy this sadness everdeen oki byeeee


	5. a lighthearTed chaPter

Tony calls May.

“Ben was my husband, Tony. He died a few years ago.”

“How am I involved in all this?”

“Ben died during the Stark Expo, Tony. He brought Peter because he had been gushing about Iron Man the whole summer.”

“Oh.”

“Then that Hammer guy attacked the convention, and Peter got lost in the chaos. Ben looked for him, but… well, one of the drones attacked him.”

“I’m so sorry, May.”

“I know it wasn’t your fault, Tony. And if it weren’t for you, Peter wouldn’t be alive right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“I doubt you would remember, but Peter told me that a drone focused on him-“

_A little kid in a hoodie, wearing an Iron Man helmet, facing a drone, palms up, stance straight-_

“And he thought he could beat it, you know? He made the gloves himself-“

_A drone, charging, aiming, ready to fire-_

“Of course, it only acted like a flashlight but you shot at the drone before it could harm him, thank you so much-“

_“Nice job, kid.” Nonchalant, a passing moment, Tony left the scene as soon as the danger was gone_.

Tony breaks out in cold sweat. He almost got the kid killed.

“May, I’m so sorry. I-“

“Nope. It was never your fault, Tony. Peter is safe, Ben was killed because of Hammer, not you. No pity parties allowed.”

Tony shakes his head and puts his hand on his face.

“But Peter blames me, May.”

“I doubt that. He’s always looked up to you, Tony. Even after the Expo.”

“Then why-“

“Tony, Peter is a very forgiving person. He doesn’t hold a grudge for long. Considering the friendship you two have, I doubt that he actually meant it.”

“So what does that mean?”

“It means that Peter is saying something else.”

* * *

 

“You know these guys, Bucky? You used to live in the shitty parts of New York, right?”

Bucky looks at the screen. Jessica Jones. Daredevil. Iron Fist. Luke Cage. Fighting in a hallway.

“Yeah, the Defenders. Vigilantes.”

Tony raises an eyebrow.

“You’ve met them?”

Bucky shrugs.

“I’m not getting them arrested, Manchurian Candidate.”

Bucky keeps quiet.

“Just tell me about them, please.”

“They keep New York safe.”

“How?”

“They handle the guys the police can’t. People with enhancements too.”

“What do you know about Spiderman?”

Bucky stares at Tony.

“He’s new on the block. Mostly stays in Queens.”

That’s where Peter lives, Tony thinks.

Tony leans against a table and crosses his arms.

“Heard he’s trouble.”

Bucky raises an eyebrow.

“He’s a good kid, Tony. Just gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“How do you know he’s a kid?”

Bucky laughs.

“You’ll know it when you see him.”

* * *

 

So Tony searches. He looks up CCTVs, checks the streets, google searches, and the latest news for Spiderman.

And Tony finds that Spiderman… mostly really just helps people.

A cat stuck in a tree, an old lady crossing a street (he sees her buy him a churro), a stolen bike, and the occasional robbery going on in sketchy alleys.

Spiderman does flips, jumps, and parkours around the city, hanging onto a thread of spider-web.

Tony is impressed, but he needs to find out more. So he goes to the only person he knows who lives in Queens.

* * *

 

Peter doesn’t expect Mr. Stark to go back to the coffee shop after his freak out. He also doesn’t expect Mr. Stark to understand his anger. A lot of people died during that Expo, and logically, he knows that Tony isn’t at fault.

But his emotions got to the best of him.

So Peter does his best to assuage his guilt, looking for clues on the whereabouts of the alien weapons distributor in the city, donating the money Mr. Stark sent his way to Mr. Delmar, and telling Ned about his secret identity.

Of course, that last one happened on accident. So Ned is his guy in the chair now, he thinks.

He could trust Ned to keep his secret.

Peter goes back to the task at hand and presses the button on the coffee grinder. Lost in his thoughts again, he is surprised to see Mr. Stark at the counter, arms crossed, sunglasses on, wearing a blazer over a t-shirt.

“Mr. Stark-“

“Save it kid, I got the story from your Aunt Hottie. No harm done, just a quick jab between two young men, wouldn’t you say?”

Peter looks away and frowns.

“I’m really sorry-“

“Hey, what did I say? Less moping, more brewing. Get me my five shots of espresso, kid.”

Tony places his hand on Peter’s shoulder and squeezes.

“We’re okay.”

Peter looks at Tony and nods.

“Thanks, Mr. Stark. And one cup of brewed coffee coming up.”

Tony takes a seat and removes his sunglasses. Peter walks up to him and serves him his order.

“Here you go. Enjoy, sir.”

Tony rolls his eyes. Peter laughs freely.

“So, what did you want to talk about? The Avengers pour coffee grounds into your garbage disposal again?”

“What makes you think I’m here to talk about anything? Can’t I visit my favorite barista for no reason?”

“Mr. Stark, the only times you come here is to rant about the Avengers, rage at the Accords, and occasionally, to berate me for my school life? Sometimes all in the same sentence.”

“You still haven’t told me why you quit Robotics club, which, by the way, is totally how you would have gotten an internship at my company.”

“I don’t know, I hear OsCorp. has some great benefits-“

“You’re fired.”

“I don’t even work for you yet!”

“Aha! You said yet. You’re still fired.”

Peter crosses his arms, leans back on his seat, and blows out a puff of air.

Tony laughs.

“Kid, I’m here to ask you about Spiderman. You mentioned him last time we met.”

Peter stutters.

“W-what? Why me?”

Tony shrugs.

“He’s from Queens, you’re from Queens. You’ve seen him around in action, right? You must be a huge fan. Tell me about him.”

Peter pauses.

“Well, he’s the friendly neighborhood Spiderman. He sees people in need, he helps them out. There’s not much to say.”

“And his superpowers?”

Peter shrugs.

“I don’t know much. I just know that he swings around with spiderwebs that are pretty strong. I mean, it can hold his weight and it’s pretty thin, right?”

Tony nods.

“Do those webs come out of him?”

“What? Ew, no! He makes them himself.”

Tony raises an eyebrow.

“And… how do you know that, kid?”

“Because… I, uh, I helped him make them.”

Tony stares at Peter incredulously.

“You… what?”

Peter taps on the table nervously.

“I- I kind of am a big fan of Spiderman. So when he approached me and asked for help on making the webs, I agreed. It wasn’t too hard anyway, and the process was pretty simple-“

Peter starts discussing the web fluid chemistry. Tony listens, asking questions here and there, prodding and learning the nuances of Peter’s thought process.

They talk for an hour, discussing rigidity ratios and tensile strengths until Tony’s phone rings and Pepper gently informs him of the required company meeting and on another note, did Tony know that the lock on the workshop could last for a week?

“Kid, I gotta go. But I need to talk to this Spiderman character. People are asking for accountability, and I need to hear the vigilante side so Ross wouldn’t bitch and moan at me.”

“But, Mr. Stark, I can’t-“

“Make it happen or I’ll give your scholarship to someone else!”

“I have a scholarship?”

Tony winks at Peter.

“You know how to contact me!”

And Tony leaves the coffee shop.

Peter groans.

_What did I get myself into?_

* * *

Bucky doesn’t know how exactly Tony Stark found the kid. Bucky doesn’t even know what the exact relationship between the two were (mentor-mentee? Patriarchal? Sugar daddy? Eugh-), but he had a hunch.

There wasn’t much that surprised Bucky these days. An alien invasion, Steve becoming a national icon, a hidden country in the middle of nowhere, and the since catching up with pop culture, reality TV shows. The technological advances and the cultural differences in between decades had shifted so much, he shrugged off most news and accepted changes after much needed therapy.

Steve had mentioned meeting the kid, said that he was some high school student that was smart enough to get Stark’s radar, and dumb enough to keep the relationship up ( _What does that say about you, Rogers?_ , and Bucky had an apple thrown at him).

When Tony asked about the Defenders, the vigilantes on the street, Bucky wasn’t expecting Tony to be the type to consider looking at the street level fights, but when he saw Spiderman on the screen and a framed photo of the kid in Tony’s workshop, it clicked.

_“He’s a good kid, Tony._ ”

_“How do you know he’s a kid?”_

And then Bucky realized what Tony didn’t know and left it at that.

He should have left it at that.

Should have left the situation.

It did not remind him of Steve, it did not remind him of Steve.

A scrawny kid, looking for fights in dumpsters, always in danger of getting-

Bucky did not leave it at that.

So here he was, surprising himself, waiting for his cup of coffee in the _Caffeine Machine_. He’s been observing the kid for around an hour, watching his little quirks and habits, and wondering why Tony didn’t notice any of this.

Peter constantly doodled in his notebook. Chemical formulas, spider icons, and patrol routes around the city. He constantly favored his left foot, just like Spiderman’s gait in videos. His hands were callused, and he was always listening to police patrols on his earphones.

And the most obvious clue of all, Peter’s backpack was half open, and Bucky could see the blue and red costume all the way across the room.

So Bucky was here, waiting for his cup of coffee, observing Peter place his order on the table delicately, as if caring not to use too much force (super-strength, possibly?)

“So, uh, Mr. Barnes, here’s your cup of coffee. Enjoy!”

Peter grinned. Bucky stared.

“Hello Spiderman.”

Peter paled quickly.

“No need to worry. Stark doesn’t know. He’s kinda dumb-“

“What-“

“Shh. Let me finish. I came to confirm a suspicion. It was confirmed. I’m not here to stop you. God knows I know that ain’t gonna work.”

Peter bit his lip.

“You have an injury, right?”

“How did you-“

“Don’t pull a Steve on me and try to hide it. I can see all the telltale signs. The slight wince when you flex forward, the bandages in your bag- half open with your suit in it by the way, you should keep that closed. Show me the wound.”

Peter sighed. There were no customers around and it was a dead time of the day for the shop. Mr. Stark wasn’t expected until another hour or so. Peter removed his white polo, revealing a loop of bandages around his torso. An aberration on his lower right abdomen from last night was still healing. As Bucky removed the bandages to inspect the wound, Peter spoke.

“Mr. Barnes-“

“Call me Bucky.”

“Mr. Bucky- why are you here?”

Bucky looked at the yellow tinge of bruises and the dark red blood patches on the bandages. The kid was in a fight and got thrown around quite a bit.

“Tony asked me about vigilantes. Saw your photo, saw Spiderman, it clicked. Then again, I used to be a spy. You’re gonna need stitches for this. How did you get this wound? Doesn’t look like it’s a stab wound.”

“There was this lady getting followed home and I thought it was just one guy, so I went down and stopped him before anything could happen. It turns out, it was a whole gang of them. Fought them off in the alleyway, one of them hit me with a bat, I got pushed on some metal scraps.”

Bucky winced.

“You’re going to need more than stitches. You need a tetanus shot.”

Peter paled.

Bucky reapplied the bandages and chugged his coffee.

“Alright kid, you’re coming with me.”

“Where are we going?”

“I’m gonna show you where the rest of the Defenders get medical treatment after doing something dumb enough to land them in the hospital.”

“But I-“

“And I am teaching you some basic fighting techniques. Stark is definitely not going to be happy when he sees those wounds.”

“Mr. Stark won’t-“

Bucky rolls his eyes.

“Come on, Peter. Let’s go.”

“But, my shift-“

Bucky laughs.

“Stark bought out this place like, a month ago. The owner was told to shut up about it and let you keep working, but you’re literally working for Stark at this point. He won’t care.”

Peter paused.

“You’re joking.”

Bucky winked.

Peter groaned, ran a hand through his hair, and grabbed his fully closed backpack.

* * *

 

Later that night, Tony received a rather informal message.

_Mr, StarK!!!! The auDac1ty!! U bought out Mr. 4NDers0n!!_

Tony grinned.

_What was I supposed to do, kid? And your texting is giving me a headache, write properly._

Peter replied back quickly.

_N3v3r!!! h0w am I supp0sed to fi3ld j0b offeRs from OsCrop if they kn0 I w0rked 4 ur c0ffee sh0p!! im quit!_

Tony sent a dog adoption website.

_If you stay we can keep a dog in the coffee shop._

Peter named the St. Bernard Sumo.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PHCK im so sorry this is so late actually the chapter was already written but idk how to freaking end it and now i did!!
> 
> SCHOOL FINISHED LIKE A MONTH AGO ish
> 
> but then we went to Taiwan (I HAD SO MUCH MILK TEA, didn't have access to my laptop) and then i had to fix some errands and to pass the time i go boxing everyday!!
> 
> also finally got a PWD ID card!!! yah00
> 
> anyway comment away because i wanna hear your throughts you guys if u hae any updates on your lives etcetc
> 
> ALSO 670 KUD0S??? w0w i hope this lives up to your expectations, bec i am a trash auth0r who l0ves typos.  
> (also guess which game i recently got into based on their conversation)

**Author's Note:**

> heww0
> 
> I KNOW OKAY I KNOW I HAVE ANOTHER FIC THAT HAS YET TO UPDATE IM WORKING ON THAT TOO
> 
> but i needed a 5 hour break from studying or else my head would explode.
> 
> anyways, this is a slowbURN tm, it's a parent son relationshIP OKAY
> 
> (no i havent seen endgame pls st0p ill cry thanks)
> 
> if there's a demand for this story i'll continue xD


End file.
